SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "E3 Withdrawal" Edition

Still reeling from E3, SuperPhillip Central is having withdrawal symptoms. We gotta have more game announcements, more new trailers, more joy, but alas, that time is now over. Thus, we must move on to a new week, and like any new week, we begin with SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs. Here, one piece of music for five different video games apiece (five pieces of music total, if your brain is fried like mine usually is) is showcased with a link, imagine, and brief introduction.

This week we're featuring some big games in the form of The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, and we continue with that three-quel trend with Dark Souls III. The Dark Knight follows with a theme from Batman: Arkham Knight just before Kratos storms on to the scene with God of War II. Last but not least, one of many black sheeps in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy VIII wraps up this "E3 Withdrawal" edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs.

Click on the big link above each image to hear the song mentioned. Additionally, the VGM Database houses every game and piece of music ever showcased on this weekly series. Now, let's get on to the music!

v1421. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (PS4, XB1, PC) - Geralt of Rivia

We begin with a series and a game that I don't think has been covered yet on SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs is The Witcher, so why not fix this glaring omission by including The Witcher III: Wild Hunt as the first VGM volume of this edition! That's exactly what we're going to do with this rousing main theme for the game that is as big of a musical adventure as the game is an enjoyable one! Majestic, bold, brave, and just all-around fantastic, Wild Hunt's main theme is one for the ages.

v1422. Dark Souls III (PS4, XB1, PC) - Main Menu

Dark Souls as a series is not for those with weak wills, low patience, or the feint of heart. Probably why I've only watched someone play several games in the series rather than played them myself. That said, I would be remiss if I didn't take the time to enjoy the series' soundtracks, featuring some really well done music, both melodic and atmospheric. Dark Souls III's main menu might be familiar to those who followed the game leading up to its release, as this theme is the same music played during the game's trailer at Gamescom in 2015.

v1423. Batman: Arkham City (Multi) - You Should Have Listened to My Warning

Nick Arundel's work on Batman: Arkham City remains my favorite video game soundtrack in the Arkham series. Riveting strings, tense, thrilling music, and just a tremendous sense of anticipation builds throughout a wide number of tracks throughout Batman: Arkham City. It doesn't hurt either that out of the Dark Knight's many nighttime outings that Arkham City remains one of my favorites!

v1424. God of War II (PS2) - Colossus of Rhodes

All in a god's work for Kratos as God of War II plunges players directly into an action sequence even better and greater in scale than the Hydra in the original God of War. In the sequel, Kratos is pursued at various points of the introductory area by the Colossus of Rhodes, before finally doing battle with the iron beast. The music in the God of War series is most certainly epic, and the theme for the Colossus of Rhodes supports that line of thinking considerably.

v1425. Final Fantasy VIII (PS1) - Liberi Fatali

Played during the opening cutscene of Final Fantasy VIII, Liberi Fatali is one of main themes from the game, taking much of its motifs from Edea's Theme. The combination of a rousing orchestra with Latin chanting as Squall and Seifer wield dueling blades remains one of my favorite openings in any video game. I believe Final Fantasy IV through IX was Nobuo Uematsu's strongest period in his composing career.

Classics I Can Return To - Part Six

Last March we delved into seven more classics that I routinely return to. If you read the headline of this article, then you can probably guess that I'm about to do so again-- this time with seven new titles that I just cannot get enough of. From modern classics to games over a decade old, Part Six of Classics I Can Return To begins now!

If you missed a previous part of this long-running series and want to check past games listed, look no further than these links:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Splatoon (Wii U)

When it launched back at the end of May, Splatoon has a decent enough amount of content. However, over the past few months, the game has seen a steady stream of new content in the form of multiplayer maps, modes, weapons, and soon to be the ability to have private online matches with friends, a feature that I cannot wait to be able to try out. Along the way, Splatoon has surprised me with just how addicting the gameplay really is, and even when one is not winning, you're still making progress towards unlocking and purchasing new gear and weapons. Splatoon wasn't perfect went it launched by any stretch of the imagination, but now that it has seen so many continuous upgrades, it's darn close.

Rayman Legends (Multi)

While I don't hold it in as high of a regard as its predecessor, Rayman Legends is a fantastic 2D platformer that I enjoy whether at home on my Wii U for some local cooperative play or on the go with my PlayStation Vita version. Playing with my older brother is a blast on the Wii U version with him moving about the Murfy levels and me using the GamePad to arrange platforms and level quirks to save his bacon. The standard platforming levels where we're playing as Rayman and Globox (or whoever we decide on) are just as strong as ever. It's a game that I didn't know if I'd still be playing many years after its release, much more buying two versions of the same game!

Mario Kart 7 (3DS)

Even though Mario Kart 8 still gets a lot of playtime in the Stortzum household and with friends at their dorm rooms, Mario Kart 7 has started to suck me back in. It's amazing how much slower the game feels compared to the Wii U game, especially after speeding through the 200 cc expansion of Mario Kart 8. Regardless, I still love playing Mario Kart 7 with friends and family, and one of the most important reasons is because the amount of excellent, memorable, and fun tracks, both new and retro, is almost unmatched in any other Mario Kart. Mario Kart 8 might have the more interesting track design due to the anti-gravity portions of track, but Mario Kart 7 has more tracks that I absolutely love.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (Multi)

I've covered Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing's successor, All-Stars Racing Transformed, on a previous installment of Classics I Can Return To. This time we're talking about Sumo Digital's first racing game starring Sonic and the whole SEGA crew. Having a much better cast of characters to race as, at least in this writer's opinion, a wide variety of well crafted race tracks, an awesome mission mode, and less bugs compared to Racing Transformed. Despite their being more content in Transformed, I've by far spent more time playing and enjoying the original Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Whether it's on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or heck, even my iPhone (albeit the latter is a much different game), this kart racer remains one of my favorites to this day.

Batman: Arkham City (Multi)

There was a lot of poking fun at Nintendo, specifically Reggie Fils-Amie, the main face of Nintendo of America, regarding his "not the same game, not the same content" PR spiel regarding Batman: Arkham City arriving on the Wii U very late compared to the other versions. While for many there was no reason to return to Arkham City after they had already played in on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC, I felt compelled to do so because I loved the game so much. I beat it on the PS3, and then I went ahead and jumped in to the Wii U version near launch. It remains my favorite Batman game to this day, and being able to make up an excuse to play it all over again was fantastic. Now, I think I'll go back to the PlayStation 3 version and tie up some loose ends by getting some more trophies...

Unreal Tournament (PC)

I got into Unreal Tournament really late. It'd be like me coming to my 2004 high school graduation in 2014. It was a long time before I finally got the pleasure to play UT, suffice to say. Starting out with the weak PlayStation 2 port (yes, I know, I know), I managed to enjoy my time against the game's incredibly smart computer opponents, learning the game's seemingly endless amount of maps, getting a grasp of the different weapons, and fragging all that I saw fit to frag. Moving to the PC version, I quickly adapted to the mouse and keyboard controls. Sure, I still totally suck when compared to other players, but I enjoy myself regardless.

TimeSplitters 2 (PS2, GCN, XBX)

The final game on this edition of Classics I Can Return To came from the minds behind GoldenEye 007, Free Radical Design, a core group of Rareware developers who left prior to Perfect Dark's completion. They took some of the aspects of those games and created this awesome futuristic first-person shooter. The amount of multiplayer content rivaled Perfect Dark, offering multiple bots, well designed arenas with plenty of hiding spots, camping spots, and points of contention, modes, and options. The single player offered so much replay value with the harder difficulties giving players more to do and longer levels to survive. Through my tour of the TimeSplitters series, TimeSplitters 2 is the one I recall fond memories of most.

SuperPhillip Central's Top 100 Games of All Time (60-51)

On June 5, SuperPhillip Central turned five years old. We're celebrating big the only way we know how, with a list of our favorite 100 games of all time. SuperPhillip Central's staff has come together to come up with this list. These don't necessarily have to be the best, but they are indeed our favorites. Coming up with an order for these games has been an immense challenge. We're sure you won't agree with our order-- heck, we don't even agree with our order. That said, we hope you'll at least agree with our picks, and if you don't, at least you can read our rationale for our choices. Regardless, for ten weeks, we will be counting down our favorite games of all time. Please join us for this great undertaking.

If you missed a previous edition of our countdown, look no further than these links:

Games of All Time (100-91)
Games of All Time (90-81)
Games of All Time (80-71)
Games of All Time (70-61)

 Let's get to the countdown!

60) Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GCN)

We kick off this week's list of ten games with Mario Kart: Double Dash!! No, we didn't add in two exclamation points for effect-- that's how the title of the game is officially written as by Nintendo. Regardless, onto the game itself-- what we consider the greatest kart racer of the PS2 era. The cooperative nature of having two racers per kart added a new dimension to the gameplay, and working in tandem to achieve the same goal-- first place-- made for some very fun and hilarious exchanges between both opponents and partners! Double Dash!! featured a great amount of new tracks, including Baby Park, Mushroom City, Bowser's Castle, Dino Dino Jungle, Wario Colosseum, and Rainbow Road, to name a handful. It's a game that still delivers to this day, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is a local multiplayer juggernaut.

59) Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (PS2)

Out of the four Sly Cooper games that have been released thus far, we still have our hearts pilfered by the first game in the series, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. Emotional gibberish aside, Sly 1 introduced the world to that thieving raccoon and his accomplices, a brawny hippo and a tech-savvy turtle. It also put Sucker Punch (now working on the PS4 launch window title InFAMOUS: Second Son) into the gaming public's collective eye. We rate this Sly Cooper above the rest because of how it was structured. There wasn't much in the way of an open world setting, and each mission was an actual full-fledged level-- something we enjoyed and preferred greatly. Yes, there have been better boss battles in the series since, but no Sly Cooper game has enthralled us more than the Thievius Raccoonus.

58) ExciteBots: Trick Racing (Wii) 

Quite possibly our favorite racer of the past generation was a severely overlooked title from Monster Games called ExciteBots: Trick Racing. It was absolutely crazy, manic, wild and highly enjoyable. You see, you didn't just race to the finish in the game. No, you had to do it with some style. Performing tricks in the air, carefully driving through tree-lined paths and kicking field goals were just three of the many ways to earn stars. At the end of the race, the player with the most stars was considered the winner. In the solo mode, depending on how many stars you earned, you were awarded a letter grade. Getting the top grade meant unlocking an abundance of new tracks, content, and bots. The motion controlled driving worked great on the wide tracks ExciteBots was full of, and the level of insanity crammed into the game disc still hasn't been topped by any racer. You can nab ExciteBots: Trick Racing (at least in North America and Japan) on the very cheap, and it's an absolute steal. You'll be ready to make Super Sandwiches while you perform Super Tree Runs shortly thereafter!

57) The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA)

Size matters, especially in the world of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. While Link appeared in a title before Minish Cap, Capcom's take on the Zelda series was a wholly original one, taking Link and allowing him to shrink down to Minish people size. This ability granted him access to new locations, and made ordinary-sized objects in the real world dangerous and possibly deadly in the Minish world. The game's six dungeons were fantastically designed, showing that Capcom had not lost a step since Oracles of Ages and Oracle of Seasons (speaking of which.... later on this list...). The bright and colorful graphics looked absolutely wonderful on the Game Boy Advance's screen, and the music beautifully blended old and new, bringing remixes and totally new tracks to the table. Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors have this game on their handhelds already, so here's hoping more people get to experience The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap if the Ambassador games are made public.

56) F-Zero GX (GCN)

Do you like high velocity races? Do you like futuristic settings? Do you like anti-gravity? Do you like fiendishly difficult games? Do you like loop-de-loops, twists, turns, and swirls in your track design? Will Captain Falcon forever be your hero, and not just only for tonight? If you said "yes" to any one of these questions, then F-Zero GX is the title for you. This GameCube exclusive was the last F-Zero game to hit a home console, and it contained over 30 unique racers, 30 participant races, mind-blowing graphics, a sensational soundtrack comprised of electronic, techno and rock music, and some of the greatest racing to ever hit a Nintendo system-- nay, any video game system. F-Zero GX is a technological marvel, but it also has the heart of an exciting and ultimately really rewarding racer.

55) Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

In the Super Nintendo era, we were but young kids. We didn't know much then, but we know now how much we miss that generation of gaming, if only for the copious amounts of platformers that popped up at the time. Rare's Donkey Kong Country brought Shigeru Miyamoto's main monkey back into the spotlight, this time in heroic form and a snazzy, new, red tie. Many were wowed by the well done visuals, genius music and tech of the game, but Donkey Kong Country also had the gameplay to back the whole package up. Cartwheeling across chasms, blasting out from barrel to barrel, and beating the crud of those cursed Kremlings made for an excellent ride. The amount of secrets in the game made for a highly replay-able platforming adventure that has since stood the test of time.

54) Batman: Arkham City (PS3, 360, PC)

It is not a stretch to call Batman: Arkham City one of the best superhero games ever devised. It is not simply a great superhero game, but it is a great game in general. Arkham City introduced a more open world setting to players, which was an entertaining to glide and grapple across. The combat system made for battles that were seldom a chore and took some ingenuity and finesse to perfect for the developers (and to master for the players). The story of Arkham City was exciting from beginning to end, constantly having us play more extra minutes than we should have been just to see what happened next. Exploration of Arkham City was a joy to do, and the walled off dystopia held many side quests among its main missions, showcasing new characters seemingly at every turn. Batman: Arkham City successfully was the ultimate superhero experience, and we're excited to see where a new developer takes us with Batman: Arkham Origins.

53) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons (GBC)

We recently revisited both of these Game Boy Color Legend of Zelda games when they released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console. The pair of Zelda adventures both had their own overworld gimmicks (and we don't say that in a negative way) to change how Link explored each game's respective world. For Oracle of Ages, it was transporting from the present to the past and vice versa. For Oracle of Seasons, it was cycling between the four seasons to pass environmental obstructions and progress through the game. Both games contained eight unique and well designed dungeons that were so good you wouldn't know that an outside studio made them and not Nintendo themselves. After one game was beaten, a password could be inputted into the other to continue Link's quest on the other game. Through beating both, you would be introduced to the real villain behind both game worlds' problems. If you have yet to play either Oracle of Ages or Oracle of Seasons, you are truly missing out.

52) Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)

We probably have this game listed too low on this list for a lot of PlayStation fans, but that's okay. Just know that we do love Team ICO's second PlayStation 2 effort a whole lot. While at first glance Shadow of the Colossus comes off as an action-adventure game, there are no towns or dungeons to visit, and no other enemies to take down besides the colossi within the game. Each colossi boss towers over Wander, the protagonist, and this is where Shadow of the Colossus almost reaches puzzle game levels. The tact and approach to taking down each colossi, figuring out and then exploiting their weakness(es) is what you, as the player, must do. However, the game isn't perfect, which is why we have it listed at #52. The camera and controls can be a bit clumsy, which detracts from the experience. That said, the experience that Shadow of the Colossus gives players is one that most should not go without having for themselves.

51) Final Fantasy IX (PS1)

After the two Final Fantasy games that preceded it went with a more modern approach, Final Fantasy IX went back to its roots with a more classical, medieval setting, with cartoon proportioned characters. This traditional Final Fantasy approach made those of us nostalgic for the old days of the series jiggle around with glee. Final Fantasy IX's world was a marvel to behold, offering wondrous location after location, the Active Time Battle system made it so players had to act fast or get beaten down, and the cast of characters were some of the most endearing ones of the PlayStation era. Final Fantasy IX may not be the best that Squaresoft had to offer PlayStation owners, but it certainly rings true for us as one of the better mainline installments in the series.

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You. Us. Same day next week. We'll have ten more titles on our list of favorites (50-41 to be exact), as we hit the second half of our monumental countdown. We hope you continue to enjoy what we have to say about each game. (If not, please pretend.)

Best Boss Battles in Gaming History - Part Seven

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

We cannot believe it has been over a year since we last took a look at our favorite boss fights of all time. We're sure you're wanting to catch up, so you can see all six past installments at the end of this article. Some argue that boss battles are too old school for modern games. Something that strives to be akin to a blockbuster like Call of Duty or Killzone probably shouldn't have boss battles in them, but if it's an RPG or a platformer, then sure, why not? For us, it all comes down to what the type of game is. These five boss battles that we've selected are ones that were fun to play, awesome to see, and/or just too damn entertaining to put into words. Regardless, we've gone ahead and done the futile task of putting these fights into words. We hope you enjoy our selections. After we're done, why not mention some of your own?

SPC's Favorite VGMs - Cinco de Mayo + 1 Edition

The start of the workweek can only mean one thing-- Moonshine Monday! Wait. No. It's actually time for SPC's Favorite VGMs, your go-to source for... SuperPhillip Central's... favorite VGMs. Ahem. On this week's installment we've got music from Batman: Arkham City, Final Fantasy VIII, and Ys I & II Chronicles.

v366. Batman: Arkham City (PS3, 360) - Main Theme

I recently sat down and replayed through Batman: Arkham City. The first time was on the PlayStation 3. This second foray into Arkham City was via the Wii U's Armored Edition, a truly definitive version of the game. Anyway, this main theme says all you need to know about the Dark Knight. It's epic, it's heroic, and it's incredibly tense-- just like Batman himself.

v367. de Blob (Wii) - Raydian Day (Unstoppable)

John Cuscott and his band jam with de Blob's Raydian Day (Unstoppable). de Blob was one of those child-friendly games that added to the immense library of the Nintendo Wii. You played as the titular hero, coloring up buildings and defeating the sinister INKT baddies. It's a total shame that Blue Tongue was dissolved, even if they would have just been sold off to the highest bidder after THQ's collapse.

v368. Final Fantasy VIII (PS1) - The Landing

This theme was the first thing heard on the original PlayStation demo of Final Fantasy VIII. Actually, it really wasn't. An alternate theme was played. The story goes that it sounded too familiar to something from The Rock motion picture (that's the rumor anyway). Someone verify that for me, okay? Regardless, this version is the one that made it into the final game, The Landing.

v369. Ys I & II Chronicles (PSP) - Ice Ridge of Noltia

What starts with a lovely strings theme backed by a rhythm track turns into an affair for piano and then guitar. Ys I & II Chronicles is a collection of titles that I did not get to try out. After enjoying The Oath in Felghana, my interest in the Ys series grew heavily. It's about time I track down a copy of this collection!

v370. Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii) - Football

There's nothing like an energetic song to kick around a black and white ball to. That is exactly what you get with our last VGM of this edition of SPC's Favorite VGMs. This track plays during the football event of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games for the Nintendo Wii. The game had its drawbacks, but overall it was a competent mini-game collection with a terrific soundtrack.

Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition (Wii U) Review

The majority of the gaming world was rocked with the news of a brand-new prequel to both Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. The studio behind that game, WB Games Montreal, worked on one of the launch titles for the Wii U, Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition. Is it just as fun the second time around, or if you've never played the original Arkham City, is this Wii U version the best place to start?

The Definitive Dark Knight?

In 2011, the sequel to the excellent Batman: Arkham Asylum released, Batman: Arkham City. It had a larger open world setting, much more to do, and a broader cast of Batman heroes and villains. The game was so good that it won the Multi-platform Game of the 2011 award at the SPC Best of 2011 Awards. Now that game is getting a prequel with Batman: Arkham Origins. The same team that is currently working on that game worked on the Wii U port, an enhanced version with system exclusive features known as Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition. Do new features make for a good reason to take a second trip to Arkham City?

Bruce Wayne becomes captured by a task force working under Hugo Strange and gets locked up within the confines of Arkham City, a place where only the darkest of the dark outcasts and prisoners prowl. While tied up, Strange reveals scarce yet ominous information regarding something called Protocol 10. Strange also tells him that if Batman tries to interfere, he vows that he will tell the world the Dark Knight's secret, that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Wayne escapes and has Alfred remotely drop off his Batsuit via the air. Can whatever Protocol 10 is be stopped before Hugo Strange has his way, or will Batman's secret be broadcast to the world? The plot of the game keeps players engaged, and I found myself consistently wanting to play just to see the story's next twist and which character I would come across next, as Arkham City houses a who's-who of Batman universe players.

The structure of Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition has players running, jumping, climbing, and gliding across city streets, rooftops, and waters as they go from specified area to specified area to progress the story.

Did someone ask for a detective?

Batman can enter Detective Mode where he can gain a pulse of what awaits him around his current positions. The mode detects heat signatures, shows detailed information about henchmen and objects, and is somewhat akin to Samus Aran's different visors in the Metroid Prime trilogy, if that comparison helps. Detective Mode is an invaluable resource for Batman as it allows him to see enemies from behind walls, as well as view secrets.

Even the coldest villain in Mr. Freeze

sports his own heat signature.

On Easy Mode one can pretty much throw caution to the wind and use little thought or stealth strategy to clear out a room. However, in more challenging difficulties, and especially when foes carry guns, stealth is key. Hiding in vents, looking down on foes from above, and peeking around corners are just some of the stealthy tasks Batman can partake in. Batman can perform a stealth takedown on unaware enemies from behind or take out an enemy from above while sitting atop a perch-- both actions can happen as long as Batman's cover hasn't been blown. If he does get spotted, Batman needs to get to high ground and quickly grapple out of his foes' sight. The enemies will still be alarmed, but they will eventually split up and search for Batman.

The Batman stalks his prey.

When stealth is not needed (or wanted), Batman is a capable brawler, and he'll need to have all of the brawn he can muster. Generally there are huge groups of foes that the caped crusader can cycle through, racking up an insane combo streak. When an enemy gets a prompt over his head, that means he is about to attack. With a well timed press of the block button, Batman will avoid the attack and keep his combo streak. The combat of Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition is just a phenomenal, flowing, and functional bit of fun. Racking up combos exceeding 30 is always great entertainment. This holds true for all of the combat challenges that are separate from the story mode, requiring players to earn medals for excellent play.

Combat in Arkham City was so good that 

games like The Amazing Spider-Man couldn't 

help but be inspired by it!

There are some RPG elements to Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition. As foes are defeated Batman earns experience points. When enough points have been accumulated, he can learn new skills and abilities, such as more protection against ballistics and melee attacks, for instance, or upgrades to his current equipment.

Be one with the bat in this game's combat.

Batman certainly has plenty of equipment as well. As he upgrades and retrieves his equipment, Batman  can access previously unreachable areas. This makes for a Metroid-like game at parts, with players needing to return to past areas for things they couldn't get the first visit. From his trust Batarang to hit faraway objects to an electric gun that shoots volts at certain machinery to get it to function, Batman has definitely got the goods this go around. Three tools can be mapped to the left, right, and down directions on the d-pad, and the up direction allows players to switch between weapons via the GamePad's touch screen.

As Mortal Kombat's Scorpion 

would say, "Get over here!"

Outside of the main campaign, Arkham City is filled with flurry of side quests to complete. These side quests provide some back story to the main events of the game, and introduce Batman to characters he would otherwise not meet. From racing from phone to phone to trace the call of a serial killer who threatens to carve up his victims if Batman does not engage him to investigating the gruesome murders of victims who have had their faces removed, Arkham City holds plenty to see and do.

Catwoman has her own part to play

in the story of Arkham City.

By far the biggest side quest in Arkham City is that of the Riddler's. Just like in Arkham Asylum, the Riddler has placed hidden trophies and solutions to riddles all around the game world, inside and out. Finding all of these and saving the Riddler's unfortunate victims will most likely be the last task completionists will do in the solo story mode. While the main game lasts around ten hours to beat, doing all of the side quests will make that number go up exponentially.

The Wii U version of Batman: Arkham City holds all of the downloadable content that PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners had to pay for and download digitally already on the disc, such as playing as Catwoman and the epilogue to the game's story, Harley Quinn's Revenge. The Armored Edition intermingles Catwoman sections with Batman sections of the story. The woman with nine lives also has her own set of Riddler trophies to find, and plays similarly to Batman, save for the ability to glide. All of the unlockable costumes like the Batman costume from the 1990's animated series and Year One Batman are included too.

The nostalgia... I feel it so bad.

What makes the Wii U version so great in addition to all of that is the GamePad. While off-TV play is possible, the fact that one can explore around Arkham City without ever having to pause is fantastic. The map is on the Wii U GamePad's screen, meaning all one has to do is look down instead of constantly pausing the game. Additionally, there are touch controlled mini-games performed when Batman needs to digitally unlock a door. These games aren't too obnoxious, but they are rather too frequent. There are also sections of the game where players will need to hold up the GamePad towards the screen to investigate crime scenes. It's a novelty, but it's a cool one at that, at least for me it was. The only issue with Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition is that this version of the game has some problems keeping its frame-rate. They don't happen all too often, but it is noticeable when they do occur.

One of the many convenient uses of 

the Wii U GamePad.

Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition might be late to the party, but if you're a Wii U owner who has never played Arkham City, you should definitely try the game out. There's no better opportunity than this one. While frame-rate issues are problematic, the added Wii U GamePad features like conversations and radio dialogue coming out of the controller's speakers, included DLC on the disc, and great controls make for a port that is the definitive version of Batman: Arkham City.

[SPC Says: 9.5/10]